Veggies take center stage

Thursday

Jun 21, 2007 at 12:01 AMJun 21, 2007 at 8:21 PM

Think beyond side dishes while you’re perusing the produce aisle

Kathryn Rem

Move over, meat. It’s time for vegetables to anchor the plate.

As a side dish, veggies add color and nutrients to a meal. But in the starring role, they pack a low-fat, low-calorie, high-fiber wallop and open the door to creative, not-the-same-old-thing meal possibilities.

“I tend to incorporate more vegetables into main-dish meals instead of thinking of them as a side dish,” said Robin Robertson, author of “Quick-Fix Vegetarian” (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2007, $16.95). Robertson, who lives in Virginia Beach, Va., is a vegetarian who has worked as a professional chef, caterer and cooking teacher. She’s written more than a dozen cookbooks.

“When I do book signings or teach cooking classes, the main thing people ask for are quick and easy recipes,” Robertson said. In “Quick-Fix Vegetarian,” she offers 150 recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. All are vegan; they call for no animal products, including eggs or dairy.

Robertson, 53, used her professional cooking skills to develop the meatless recipes.

“I knew how to cook, knew all the French sauces. I asked, ‘Why can’t I make piccata or marsala with plant-based ingredients?’ ”

Robertson said people who aren’t familiar with vegetables can be intimidated by the thought of cooking with them.

“Years ago, people grew their own vegetables. Then in the ‘50s, people grew up on canned and frozen vegetables.” Some were so overcooked and tasteless baby boomers ditched them from diets the first chance they got.

“The tides are turning now,” she said. Not only are people relying on backyard gardens and farmers markets for fresh food, but “produce sections are unbelievably wonderful now.” There is such a wide variety of fresh vegetables available today, in fact, that cooks are realizing their center-of-the-plate potential.

Robertson offers these tips for getting a vegetarian dinner on the table fast:

? Wash and dry produce when you get it home from the store. (Exceptions are fragile items like mushrooms and berries.)

? Don’t be afraid to substitute seasonal ingredients for those called for in a recipe. Likewise, if a recipe lists an ingredient that will require a shopping trip, add something you have on hand instead.

? Cook more vegetables than you need for one meal. They’ll be easier to add to other dishes if they’re already cooked.

? Try roasting any vegetable. Cut it in small pieces or chunks, sprinkle with salt and a little olive oil and place on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven until browned on the outside and slightly soft on the inside. (Usually 10 to 30 minutes.)

? Buy a vegetable you’ve never tried before. If you don’t have a recipe, look up several on the Internet.

For a quick pantry meal, Robertson sautes garlic in olive oil and adds a can of artichoke hearts, a can of diced tomatoes and some sliced black olives. (If she has them on hand, sometimes she adds capers, chopped roasted red bell peppers, a handful of baby spinach or a can of white beans.) Toss everything with cooked pasta.

“Too many people think recipes are written in stone,” she said. “Experiment. Use your senses. You’ll start to get a real feel for what goes well together and what foods your body needs.”

Food editor Kathryn Rem can be reached at 788-1520 or kathryn.rem@sj-r.com.

Couscous Shepherd’s Pie

1 (16-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups water or vegetable broth

1 cup quick-cooking couscous

Salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 (12-ounce) package frozen vegetarian burger crumbles

11/2 cups mushroom gravy, store-bought or homemade

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon nonhydrogenated margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook vegetables in a pot _of salted boiling water until just tender, about 7 minutes. Drain and transfer to a lightly oiled 2-quart casserole dish.

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in the same pot in which you cooked the vegetables. Add couscous and salt to taste. Remove from heat, cover and let sit 5 minutes.

Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add onions, cover and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add to the vegetables in the casserole dish. Stir the burger crumbles into the casserole dish, along with gravy and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then spread couscous evenly on top and dot with margarine. Bake until filling is hot and bubbly and top is golden, about 25 minutes.

Cook the pierogi and broccoli in a pot of salted boiling water until the broccoli is just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cover; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and stir in the walnuts and red pepper flakes. Add the pierogi and broccoli and cook to lightly brown the pierogi, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Note: Check ingredient list on pierogi, as some contain dairy. If pierogi are unavailable, this recipe also is delicious made with a small, chewy pasta such as cavatelli or orecchiette.

In a bowl, combine refried beans with 1 cup of the salsa, stirring to blend well. Spread bean-and-salsa mixture over tortillas and top with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Arrange remaining 4 tortillas over the cheese and top with a layer of salsa. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top.

Cover and bake until hot, about 30 minutes.

While casserole is baking, halve and pit the avocado and spoon the flesh into a bowl. Mash avocado with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the casserole.